Hold On, You're Strong
by ComeOnWe'reTeamSparia
Summary: "She was gasping and shaking as she remembered the nightmare. Quinn's taunting face. The gun in his hand. The shots fired. The pain. The blood, so much blood."


**Hey! I'm back with another Skimmons one shot! This was also requested by my best friend. I hope this is what you had in mind! Read and enjoy you guys! Feedback is, once again, _greatly_ appreciated!**

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****Skye woke up in a panic. Tears were rolling down her face as she tried to desperately get some oxygen into her lungs. She was gasping and shaking as she remembered the nightmare.

Quinn's taunting face. The gun in his hand. The shots fired. The pain. The blood, so much blood.

Minutes of gasping for air without use went by until Skye decided that she needed to leave her pod. The pod was already small enough but in that moment, it felt as though its walls were closing in on her.

She shakily stood up and walked towards her door. She carefully opened it and made sure that she did not make any unnecessary noise.

She walked though the hallways of the bus as quietly as possible. She walked into the kitchen and decided to get a drink of water in hopes that it would calm her down.

She stood in the quiet kitchen and listened to the hum of the plane's engine as she tried to steady her breathing.

She was scared and her heart was beating faster than normal. She tried to keep reminding herself that she was alive and safe with her teammates but it was no use.

As her head started pounding and the room started spinning, she decided that she needed to talk to someone and she knew exactly whom it should be.

She knew that there was only one person who would know what to say to calm her down and that person was Jemma Simmons.

She walked towards the pod's door and opened it to find a sleeping Jemma. She closed the door behind her and walked over to the sleeping genius.

Skye thought that Jemma looked at peace in her sleep and she hated herself for what she was about to do.

She lightly tapped Jemma's shoulder and whispered, "Jemma. Jem." Jemma stirred then slowly opened one eye and found Skye standing, looking over her.

"Skye," she said, as she quickly sat up, worried about the younger hacker.

"I can't sleep," Skye's voice cracked as she ducked her head in embarrassment.

Jemma scooted over to the left side of her bed and opened her arms out. Skye sat beside her and leaned into her embrace. Jemma noticed Skye's ragged breathing and began to rub her back in an attempt to comfort her.

Minutes of silence passed by as Jemma held Skye, both of them staring ahead at Jemma's closet when Skye broke the silence.

"I keep dreaming about it," she whispered. Jemma immediately looked at her to let her know that she was listening. "About dying. I keep seeing Quinn's face and the gun. I feel the pain all over again," she hesitated. "The flashbacks won't stop," her voice cracked as a tear rolled down her face. Jemma moved her thumb to wipe away the tear.

Skye then turned and faced Jemma. She sucked in a breath and confessed, "Jemma, I can't sleep. I can't breathe. I feel as though I'm here but at the same time I'm not. It feels as though I'm this completely different person and," she hesitated once again, "I'm not sure if I could move past this." She stopped, and then said as her tears began to fall freely, "I'm not sure if I'm strong enough to keep going and move on from this."

Hearing Skye's confession made Jemma's heart stop in her chest. It killed her to see the woman she loves, in so much pain. She desperately wanted to take away all the pain that Skye was feeling. Both the emotional and the physical.

Minutes went by with Jemma holding onto Skye and rocking her from side to side, as she shook with sobs in her arms, when suddenly Jemma got an idea.

"Skye," she said as she lifted Skye's chin to make her face her. She held out her left hand for Skye to take. Skye took her hand and Jemma laced their fingers together. Jemma then took Skye's left hand into her right. She brought her hand up to Skye's chest and put it where her heart would be.

"Do you feel that?" she asked. When Skye nodded with eyes shining with tears, she continued. "That's you heart, Skye. It's beating. You're alive and you're safe. Quinn is gone. The danger is gone. You're with the team, on the bus." Jemma stopped then looked Skye straight in the eye. "Anytime you feel as though you are not strong enough, you need to take a second and listen to your heart beat. It is beating for a reason, Skye. You are meant to be here. You're strong enough to be here," she croaked.

Jemma then brought their laced hands up to her own chest and put Skye's hand where her own heart would be.

"Now, do you feel that?" she asked. Skye nodded as tears began to fall down her cheeks once again. "I'm here Skye. You could feel my heart beat. You could see me. I'm here for you," she said as her own tears started to fall down her face. "When your heart stopped, I felt as though my heart did too. I felt as though it would not beat again until I saw you take a breath in that hyberbaric chamber."

"We both almost died, but look at us. We're still here. Our hearts are still beating. We have a purpose, Skye. We're still alive for a reason. We can't give up now. You can't give up now," Jemma spoke as tears continued to fall from both women's eyes. "Skye you've already been through so much. You're strong, you truly are. You could move on from this and come out stronger than ever. You're a fighter, Skye. A brave one at that."

Jemma let go of Skye's hands and wiped the young hacker's tears away.

She kissed her forehead then brought her down to sleep.

She too slipped down and settled herself beside Skye and brought the blanket up to cover them. She whispered, "Sleep, Skye. You're safe here," and began to stroke Skye's hair.

Skye visibly relaxed and let out a shaky breath. "Thank you, Jem," she whispered.

Jemma kissed Skye's left cheek and draped her arm over Skye. "Sleep, darling. I've got you."

Then, for the first time in a long while, both women felt safe as they drifted off into a peaceful sleep, both holding onto each other.


End file.
